Air con upgrades air cooled 911

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Has anyone had direct experience of an air conditioning guru in Sydney who can be trusted to restore and/or upgrade air conditioning for a 1985 3.2 911 Carrera (my car had factory air con and still has all the bits, but compressor does not work).

Has anyone had experience and any views on the Griffiths air con upgrade systems - or the retro air electric systems?

By the way, I know and accept many disapprove of such softness, but the joy of this car is new to me, and I don't really want to leave it parked during Sydney summer.

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I have a spare compressor from a 964.. I replaced it when I had my aircon fixed. The compressor works, but got a bit noisy.. the fitter told me I could have just put a "kit" through it rather than buy a new one..

There is a fair chance the compressor is fine and is not engaging because the system has insufficient pressure to safely operate. There is a pressure activated safety switch either near the compressor or on the receiver that could be temporarily “jumped” to confirm this the case.

As for those who think these cars are better without air conditioning in Australia, I’ve found them to be all dickheads to a man so just ignore them.

There is a couple of good AC threads on PFA that are worth a look. Don’t bother with the Pelican or other forum threads, just a waste of time.

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I installed a Griffiths system in my car last year, right before moving to Oz. I expected to get a lot of use out of it last summer, but the import and registration took longer than expected so I haven't really put it through its paces yet. It is charged and blows cold though, so I'm optimistic that it will perform on hot days. I replaced everything except the compressor and deck lid condenser, and added an additional rear fender condenser as well.

Happy to answer any questions about the install process, my research, etc.

Incidentally, cars from that era do not have a pressure switch for the compressor. Part of the Griffiths system install involves adding one.

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If they did, they generally only had a binary pressure switch to prevent the compressor seizing when operated on low refrigerant pressure (and therefore little lubrication). Since the introduction of r134a it’s normal to have a trianary switch to protect the system when either low pressure or excess pressure situation exists.

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I installed a Griffiths system in my car last year, right before moving to Oz. I expected to get a lot of use out of it last summer, but the import and registration took longer than expected so I haven't really put it through its paces yet. It is charged and blows cold though, so I'm optimistic that it will perform on hot days. I replaced everything except the compressor and deck lid condenser, and added an additional rear fender condenser as well.

Happy to answer any questions about the install process, my research, etc.

Incidentally, cars from that era do not have a pressure switch for the compressor. Part of the Griffiths system install involves adding one.

How far did you go with the Griffiths upgrade - for example, did you go with the additional vent over the existing bow tie?

Very interested to hear how it goes when you get a chance to try out in real world Oz conditions.

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Other than the components I mentioned, I did get the Griffiths center vent upgrade. The one that turns the center footwell blower into a straight ahead blower. I still have to install that, and seal up the evaporator box and some other openings. Ping me in January and ask me how it's doing

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Other than the components I mentioned, I did get the Griffiths center vent upgrade. The one that turns the center footwell blower into a straight ahead blower. I still have to install that, and seal up the evaporator box and some other openings. Ping me in January and ask me how it's doing

Thanks, will do.

All of my research so far has been really positive about the Griffiths stuff, so I would be surprised if you are not happy with it.

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All of my research so far has been really positive about the Griffiths stuff, so I would be surprised if you are not happy with it.

Did you also go with the upgrade blower control and thermostat?

DJ

No I didn't upgrade those, I decided to try without. I can always do those later. I confirmed that my existing thermostat works. Hopefully I got it positioned right in the new evaporator, that's key to getting good temperatures.

I shot and narrated a lot of video during the install, when I finally finish the last couple of items I will get that edited and posted to YouTube.

The only serious alternative to the Griffiths solution that I'm aware of is the new Classic Retrofit electric AC kit. It looks really impressive, and I think initial impressions have been very positive. But it costs about $1k USD more than the Griffiths kit, and I just couldn't justify that cost for a weekend car.

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i don't have the retro air system, but had a very similar setup made for the E9 (big open glasshouse).

it worked quite well, not as good as a modern car system but better than a traditional 911 system (have one upgraded on the 964).

i will be going the retro air system based off this, and to keep the engine bay free of clutter.

That retro air system is an interesting solution - and interested to hear how you go with it.

Do you know anyone who has direct experience of their system on a 911?

The Griffiths system gets good feedback and, if properly set up, will probably give better cooling. At the moment I am tending towards the Griffiths system, as I know someone who has done it and is very happy with it. It is also a bit more in keeping with originality of my car, which was delivered with factory air.

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That retro air system is an interesting solution - and interested to hear how you go with it.

Do you know anyone who has direct experience of their system on a 911?

The Griffiths system gets good feedback and, if properly set up, will probably give better cooling. At the moment I am tending towards the Griffiths system, as I know someone who has done it and is very happy with it. It is also a bit more in keeping with originality of my car, which was delivered with factory air.

Cheers

DJ

i am the opposite - the retro air is a neat compact option and gets it all up the front of the car, keeps my engine bay clean (have ITB's as well), and experience with the electric aircon in the E9 showed it was good enough for a weekend drive or road trip.

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Welp, I took the car to get washed today, and as it was about 26C on the way home I decided to click on the AC. It blew nice and cold! I was really pleased! When I got home about 5 minutes later, however, I could hear a telltale hiss coming from the back of the car :( I popped the engine lid and could see all my precious R-134 venting out the center of the condenser (sorry ozone layer). I replaced the nose seal and all o-rings in the condenser during my rebuild project, and this was the one part that I was worried I might have got wrong. I can't remember now what my concerns were. I think it was either that I might have put the seal in backwards, or that I didn't lubricate it, or something like that. I've already emailed Griffiths to see if I can get just the seal in replacement, and I'll also check to see if he thinks I did anything wrong. Hopefully it will be a quick fix.

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Welp, I took the car to get washed today, and as it was about 26C on the way home I decided to click on the AC. It blew nice and cold! I was really pleased! When I got home about 5 minutes later, however, I could hear a telltale hiss coming from the back of the car :( I popped the engine lid and could see all my precious R-134 venting out the center of the condenser (sorry ozone layer). I replaced the nose seal and all o-rings in the condenser during my rebuild project, and this was the one part that I was worried I might have got wrong. I can't remember now what my concerns were. I think it was either that I might have put the seal in backwards, or that I didn't lubricate it, or something like that. I've already emailed Griffiths to see if I can get just the seal in replacement, and I'll also check to see if he thinks I did anything wrong. Hopefully it will be a quick fix.

1 hour ago, autojack said:

Welp, I took the car to get washed today, and as it was about 26C on the way home I decided to click on the AC. It blew nice and cold! I was really pleased! When I got home about 5 minutes later, however, I could hear a telltale hiss coming from the back of the car :( I popped the engine lid and could see all my precious R-134 venting out the center of the condenser (sorry ozone layer). I replaced the nose seal and all o-rings in the condenser during my rebuild project, and this was the one part that I was worried I might have got wrong. I can't remember now what my concerns were. I think it was either that I might have put the seal in backwards, or that I didn't lubricate it, or something like that. I've already emailed Griffiths to see if I can get just the seal in replacement, and I'll also check to see if he thinks I did anything wrong. Hopefully it will be a quick fix.